Method and apparatus for unloading high-explosive shells



T. F. KNIGHT METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING HIGH EXPLOSIVE SHELLS May 6 Filed March 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE YS Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES I ran A NT oric.

THOMAS E. KNIGHT, or LYNnHUR-sT, NEW JERSEY, assrenoia TO COLUMBIA SALVAGE CORPORATION, OFVNEW YORKLN. Y., aooarona'rron or NEW YORK.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING HIG -ExrLosIvE'sHELLs.

Application filed March 28, 1923. serial at. 628,322.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. KNIGHT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident ofLyndhu'rst, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Unloading High-Explosive Shells (Case No. 3), of which the following is a specification.

The main object of thisinvention is to provide a new and useful method'and apparatus for unloading high-explosive shells. It is necessary that the entire high explosive charge be removed from the shells in order that the empty shells may be safely melted or reduced in a blast furnace or otherwise. These shells are of high quality steel and are valuable provided the explosive charge is entirely removed.

A high explosive shell for artillery use consists, ordinarily, of a hollow steel shell filled with a charge of high explosive, said charge being substantially solid when cooled and forming a practically homogeneous dry mass which substantially fills the shell. The shell is usually pointed at one'end and said pointed end is known as the nose. In the nose is formed a longitudinally extending threaded aperture in which is screwed a flanged adapter ring; and said ring carries a booster casing and a fuse. Before the shells can be unloaded, that is to say the charge removed, the adapter ring carrying the booster casing and the booster charge must be removed. The fuse, or fuse stock, is inserted only when making the shell ready for firing. A great many of these high explosive shells are charged with amatol or pure t-rinitrotoluol (TNT)." Amatol is a mixture of ammonium nitrate'and TNT in proper proportions. These high-explosive charges are fluid Orsemi-fluid' at certain temperatures and are usually poured into the shell in a fluid or semi-fluid state. hen the charge cools it solidifies within the shell and becomes a substantially solid and homogeneous mass of material which com pletely fills the entire shell except for a small space at the nose, which space is de.- signed to receive the booster casing.

The main purpose of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for safely, completely and quickly removing these high explosive charges from the shells.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of'an apparatus for carrying out the 1nvent1on;

Fig. 2 a vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 3 a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 a detail perspective view of a part of the means for holding the shells in an upright inverted position; and

Fig.5 a detail'sectional view of a shell illustrating the unloading operation.

In carrying out this invention the adapt er ring and the booster casing are'first removed, thereby leaving the threaded aperture in the nose of theshell open so that access may be had therethrough to the interior of the shell. The shells are arranged in an inverted position with their open point-ed 'ends resting'in apertures 1 in a horizontal supporting plate 2.' Plate 2 is rigidly supported directly 'over a trough 3 so that the discharge from the shells will enter said trough directly. The plate 2 may be of any'desired length and maybe provided with any number of apertures 1 in order that the desired number of shells maybe simultaneously treated. Theupper ends of the shells rest in notches 4 formed in a horizontal rigid supporting bar 5. The bar 5 isrigidly secured to a pair of uprightsG and said bar is so located on the uprights as to engage the shellsnear their bases when the shells are in inverted positions on the supporting plate 2. To' look the shells to "the bar-6 a removal locking bar 7 is arranged on the opposite sides thereof from the bar' Thebar 7 is removably engaged 'inclips '8 secured to the uprights 6. When the shells are in position'the locking bar 7 is dropped down into engagement withclips 8 and serves to look all of the shells in the notches 4 and thereby hold them against lateral or 'fore-and-aft movement i'n'the frame.

In the trough 3 directly below the lower open endsof the shells is a steam pipe 9; and connected to said'pipe are upwardly extending, long, slender steam nozzles 10. These steam nozzles'are rigidly secured to the pipe 9 in an upright position and extend upwardly through the apertures 1 in the supporting plate-2. -There is one nozzle for each aperture so that a nozzle will enter each shell mounted on the supporting plate 2. When the. shells are in position,

as illustrated in Fig. 5, the nozzles 10 will enter said shells through the apertures in the noses of the shells. Each nozzle is provided with a perforated head 11 at its upper end and said head is adapted to be brought into contact with the charge within the shell. The head 11 is provided with perforations 12 in its sides and upper surface so that steam will be discharged therefrom upwardly and laterally and directed against the mass of the charge. A steam supply pipe 13 is connected to the pipe 9, and the outer end of this supply pipe is connected to the main steam supply 1% by a rubber hose or flexible pipe 15.

Connected to the ends of the nozzle-carrying pipe 9 are two vertically arranged lifting rods 16 which are arranged to reciprocate in guides 1'? carried by the uprights 6. The upper ends of the lifting rods are connected to the ends of weighted levers 18 which are pivoted in suitable supports mounted on a cross-bar 19 secured to the upper ends of the uprights 6. The levers 18 carry weights 2G which tend to lift the rods 16. To hold the nozzle-carrying pipe 9 in its lowermost position hooks 21 are pivoted on the supports of the guides 17 and are arranged to engage over horizontal pins 22 carried. by the lifting rods 16. lVhen the hooks 21 are disconnected from pins 22 the weights 20 lift the nozzlecarrying pipe 9 and thereby elevate the nozzles 10 and cause them to move upwardly into the shells. The flexible hose-connection 15 is for the purpose of permitting this vertical movement of the pipe 9 and of the supply pipe 13.

When the shells have been secured in position on the supporting plate 2 the hooks 21 are released from pins 22 and steam is admitted to the nozzle-carrying pip-e 9 by opening the steam valve 23. The nozzles will move up into the shells until they engage the charges therein. The steam will be projected against the charge and will soften and disintegrate it and blow it down and out through the openings in the noses of the shells. As the charge is softened and flows down and out of the shells the nozzles move up into the shells, maintaining contact with the charge, or substantially so. The steaming and upward movement of the nozzles will be continued until the entire shells are clear of the charges. This may be readily determined by noting the tem= perature of the shells.

The dissolved or liquefied material may be taken from the trough 3 in any desired manner and suitably treated for the recovery of the material or materials which were. used in making up the charge. In the trough, of course, there will be a considerable quantity of water resulting from the condensation of the steam. l

VVliat I claim is:

1. The method of removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell, consisting in placin the shell upright with its open nose downwardly, inserting a steam nozzle in the open nose at the point of the shell, directing a steam jet upwardly into said shell through said steam nozzle, and causing relative movement between the steam nozzle and the shell whereby the steam jet will heat, moisten and dissolve the explosive charge and cause it to flow in liquid form down through the open nose of the shell and a substantially uniform steam jet action will be maintained on the undissolved portion of the charge as the said charge is progressively dfissiplved and flows downwardly out of the s e 2. The method of removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell consisting in placing the shell upright with its open nose downwardly, inserting a steam nozzle in the open nose at the point of the shell, and directing a steam jet upwardly into said shell through said steam nozzle, whereby the steam jet will heat, moisten and dissolve the explosive charge and cause it to flow in liquid form down through the open nose of the shell and automatically maintaining asubstantially uniform steam jet action on the undissolved portion of the charge as the said charge is progressively dissolved and flows downwardly out of the shell.

3. The method of removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell consisting in placing the shell upright with its open nose downwardly, inserting a steam nozzle through the open nose of the shell and into contact with the mass within the shell, causing steam to flew continuously through said steam nozzle up into the shell whereby the steam will heat, moi ten and dissolve the explosive charge and reduce it to liquid form, and causing the steam nozzle to move upwardly into the shell as the mass is progressively dissolved and flows downwardly out of the shell.

The method of removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell consisting in placing the shell upright with its open nose downwardly, inserting a steam nozzle through the open nose of the shell and into contact with the mass within the shell, causing steam to flow continuously through said steam nozzle up into the shell whereby the steam jet will heat, moisten and dissolve the explosive charge and reduce it to liquid form, and causing the steam nozzle to automatically move upwardly into the shell to maintain contact with the solid part of the charge as the mass is progressively dissolved and flows downwardly out of the shell. I

5. An apparatus for liquefying and removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell comprising a steam nozzle adapted to extend into the shell, and means for automatically moving said nozzle into the shell as the mass therein is dissolved.

6. An apparatus for liquefying and removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell comprising a nozzle adapted to extend into the shell, said nozzle being provided with apertures at its end,-means for automatically moving said nozzle into the shell as the charge is dissolved and removed, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said nozzle. a

7 An apparatus for removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell comprising means for supporting a shell in an inverted position with its open pointed end downwardly, a steam nozzle adapted to vextend upwardly through the open lower end of the shell, means for automatically moving said nozzle up into the shell as the charge is removed, and means for supplying steam to said nozzle.

8. The method of removing a solidified explosive charge from a shell consisting 1n placing the shell upright with its open end downwardly, inserting a nozzle in the open lower end of the shell, heating, moistening and liquefying said explosive charge by directing up into the shell through said nozzle a jet of hot moisture containing fluid under pressure, and causing the nozzle to move upwardly into the shell as the mass of the charge is progressively dissolved and flows downwardly out of the shell.

9. An apparatus for liquefying and removing solidified explosive charges from shells, comprising a frame adapted to be moved up and down, means for guiding said frame in its movement, a plurality of steam nozzles carried by said frame, means for supporting a plurality of shells in inverted positions with their open ends downwardly, the said steam nozzles being adapted to extend upwardly into the lower open ends of the shells, weight operated means for moving the nozzle carrying frame upwardly whereby the nozzles are moved up into the shells as the charges are removed, and means for supplying steam to the nozzles.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

THOMAS F. KNIGHT. 

